The Twizy is part scooter, part car and makes sense for congested cities

Renault can claim no intellectual ownership of the EV microcar concept; energy-efficient personal mobility machines have made regular appearances at shows for more than a decade.

After what seems like the longest of long infancies, the market for electric cars is beginning to mature. Nissan’s Leaf, the 2011 Car of the Year, continues to blaze its uncompromising trail across Europe and the wider world.

The Twizy needs no government incentive to earn a place among Britain’s most affordable EVs. Part-car, part-scooter, and entirely zero emissions (at the tailpipe), it’s exactly the kind of machine that, future gazers claim, will populate our burgeoning cities in years to come.